Shining Star: A Short Story

By Alexandria Blaelock

An author. An actor. An absolute mess.

 

It's a beautiful day at the movie studio. But author Jessica Mason thinks she might send her hero to Egypt.

Then she meets him in the flesh of actor Jason Winter.

He's larger than life. And twice as attractive.

She's out of her depth. Can't keep her story straight.

Can they find a future together through the layers of fiction?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BlueMere Books
• Release date: Jun 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9780648173342

Alexandria Blaelock

Alexandria Blaelock writes stories, some of them for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. She's also written four self-help books applying business techniques to personal matters like getting dressed, cleaning house, and feeding your friends. As a recovering Project Manager, she’s probably too fond of sticking to plan. She lives in a forest because she enjoys birdsong, the scent of gum leaves and the sun on her face. When not telecommuting to parallel universes from her Melbourne based imagination, she watches K-dramas, talks to animals, and drinks Campari. At the same time. Discover more at www.alexandriablaelock.com.

Book preview

SHINING STAR

And this is Jason Winter who’ll be playing the male lead General Chang.

I’ll be honest.

I hadn’t been paying attention.

I’m the author of best-selling novel Bayside Bloodshed, and it’s being made into a movie.

Yay me!

We authors can be a bit precious about our books, so we aren’t usually invited to any cast or crew meetings.

I should have been more grateful and involved, but the Director had said something about a local archaeological dig, and it set my train of thought heading to a different station.

Could I send my hero General Chang to the pyramids?

I was staring out the window at a morning sky so blue and sunny I could almost smell the gum trees and nibbling at some kind of sweet pastry as I tried to work through how I’d get him there.

And what he might do when he got there.

I was slightly annoyed when my train got derailed.

Schooling my face into a polite smile, I turned to greet the star and gasped as I looked up at the General himself.

I mean really, Jason was exactly what I’d imagined as I wrote Chang.

Dark eyes with ridiculously long lashes, dark hair, clean-shaven, lovely long pointy sideburns.

Tight t-shirt revealing just enough lean muscle in all the right places.

What was worse, he smiled Chang’s sardonic smile, seeming to understand my shock and surprise.

As if it happened all the time.

My stomach lurched, and for an instant, I thought I might throw up on him.

He held out his hand to shake.

I transferred the pastry to my left hand, wiped my sticky right one down the leg of my jeans and offered it to him.

His hand was warm and soft as it enfolded mine. He smelled of sandalwood soap.

Just like Chang.

Did he do it deliberately?

Ms Mason, he said in a rich baritone, bowing his head a little, "pleased to meet you.

I haven’t read your book, but I’ve heard it’s good. I’m looking forward to bringing Chang to life.

I swallowed.

So far as I could tell, he was doing an excellent job so far, but he was making me very uncomfortable.

And he didn’t seem in any hurry to let my hand go.

Which was fantastic!

But I was starting to hyperventilate and didn’t think passing out at his feet would be a good look.

I had to get away.